What happened
On May 3, 2022, a Piper PA28-151 performing a solo flight training mission near Roskilde (EKRK) struck treetops during a landing approach. The flight, conducted under visual flight rules (VFR), was intended for practicing crosswind landings. After several successful rounds, the student pilot decided to perform a full-stop landing on runway 21.
During the approach, the student pilot was instructed by air traffic control to adjust the approach path due to arriving traffic. While transitioning through the base leg, the aircraft experienced a sudden right bank and a rapid loss of altitude. The student pilot, believing they had configured the aircraft for a landing, attempted an aborted approach procedure by applying full power and retracting flaps. However, the aircraft's actual configuration and flight path deviated significantly from the pilot's perception, leading to a collision with trees near a go-kart track. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the wings, tail, and engine cowling, but the pilot was able to land the aircraft safely on runway 29.
The investigation
The Danish Accident Investigation Board examined radar data, flight school standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the pilot' and air traffic controller's communications. The investigation focused on the discrepancy between the pilot's perception of the aircraft's configuration—specifically regarding airspeed and flap settings—and the actual flight parameters recorded by radar. Investigators also analyzed the physiological effects of stress on the student's performance and the accuracy of the flight school's student evaluation systems.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the student pilot's significant decline in performance resulting from low solo flight experience combined with an accumulating stress level that exceeded their threshold.
- The pilot likely experienced a freeze response, characterized by a period of cognitive passivity and irrational actions.
- High levels of stress hormones likely impaired the pilot's memory and led to a dissociation between thought and physical action.
- A discrepancy existed between the pilot's belief that they had configured the aircraft for landing and the actual state of the aircraft (flaps were actually at 0° during the recovery attempt).
- The pilot's situational awareness was further complicated by a divergence between the airspeed presented in knots and the mph scale on the airspeed indicator's outer dial.